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Any comments, observations, ideas and suggestions about any part of the project (existing or not) are welcome. I've never worked on code alongside someone else before, so I don't know exactly what you could do. I'd like some opinions on how well my code works, as well as pointing out if there are any gaps.

If you want to help in a more direct sense, there's the Card Dex and the Card Summary screens to be created, as well as a way to receive booster packs. I imagine the first two to be direct copies of the Pokédex and Pokémon summary screens respectively. All of these would need to be designed via concept art, obviously.

i guess the booster pack would depend on what sortta game your planning on but possibly buy them from shops
i dont know how things work fully but in an older version of essentials when i tried to get pokemon in exchange for game corner coins i set up dummy items and once the shop process had finished it would convert the items into pokemon via an event maybe boosters could be the same

There'll be no such thing as "buying" in this project. Booster packs can either be free gifts, or rewards for winning duels. Either way, it works the same, as I shall now explain.

I imagined a screen showing the available booster packs (which can either be "all that exist" or "a defined selection of them"), and clicking on a pack will open it and show you what cards you've received. If you're allowed to choose more than 1 booster pack, you then go back to the first screen and choose another pack.

Each booster pack can be finite (you can choose it once and then it disappears from your choices) or infinite (you can choose it as many times as you like). Note that this only applies to a single instance of getting booster packs, and what you choose in one instance has no effect on the next instance (which may well have a different selection of packs to choose from).

I imagine that the "infinite" option would be used either always or never, i.e. not "just some of the time". It would depend on how the user wants their game to work. It only matters in the player can get more than 1 pack at once anyway. Both options have their perks.

Something like this:
The finite/infinite status of booster packs doesn't need to be shown. A single card set can have multiple booster pack artworks (which are part of the definitions alongside the quantity), in which case each one is defined separately and will appear separately.

This method is done even if you can only choose 1 pack. That pack is still shown first in this screen, which you click on to open.

Does anyone know the chances of cards of each rarity appearing in a booster pack? Should booster packs be throttled to force at least (or exactly) 1 rare card (or higher rarity) in every pack?

Speaking as someone who actively collects and plays the TCG, every booster after Base Set has had to include a rare card, due to allegations of it basically being gambling targeted at kids.

While I do not know the exact odds of secret rare card pulls, I do know that it has changed over the years and I do know which secret rare types are rarer than others.

I have very limited knowledge of programming, but I do have extensive knowledge about the workings of the TCG and would be willing to lend my knowledge with regards to how some situations would and should play out.

I'm currently downloading your Alpha right now to give what you've currently got developed a look-over.

EDIT: Okay, something that stands out - there is no limit to how much energy can be attached in a single turn in your game engine. In the physical TCG, you can only attach 1 energy per turn unless a PokePower/Ability (Ability technically being the proper current name for PokePowers & PokeBodies), an effect of a card, or an effect of an attack allows you to attach additional energy.

Speaking as someone who actively collects and plays the TCG, every booster after Base Set has had to include a rare card, due to allegations of it basically being gambling targeted at kids.

While I do not know the exact odds of secret rare card pulls, I do know that it has changed over the years and I do know which secret rare types are rarer than others.

I have very limited knowledge of programming, but I do have extensive knowledge about the workings of the TCG and would be willing to lend my knowledge with regards to how some situations would and should play out.

Are the Metronome attacks for Clefairy and Clefable intended to be identical? Clefable also says to ignore costs of attack (e.g. Charizard's "discard 2 energy"), whereas Clefairy doesn't.

Should Raticate's Super Fang attack ignore all effects/weaknesses/resistances and always deal the amount of damage it says, or is that calculation just for the base damage and it would then be affected by PlusPower and the like?

I'm sure I'll come across more questions when I get round to the various effects. If you can think of any cards/effects/interactions from Base/Jungle/Fossil that you think might be tricky, please let me know.

One thing I was pleased to discover was how cards like Pokémon Breeder should work - the intermediate card (if skipping from Basic to Stage 2) must exist as a card, even if it's not in the deck, and it doesn't work on Baby Pokémon. That makes things more convenient to code.

If possible, could you have a look at the order in which things happen during an attack? It's as follows:

I've tried to take account of whatever I can think of, but I'm sure there'll be things I've overlooked. If an attack can't be used (e.g. don't have enough energy, Farfetch'd's Leek Slap), it can't even be chosen to be used in the first place, so the above code assumes the attack can be used. Checking fainting cards is a separate thing that happens immediately after the attack (as well as on other occasions).

Quote originally posted by donavannj:

EDIT: Okay, something that stands out - there is no limit to how much energy can be attached in a single turn in your game engine. In the physical TCG, you can only attach 1 energy per turn unless a PokePower/Ability (Ability technically being the proper current name for PokePowers & PokeBodies), an effect of a card, or an effect of an attack allows you to attach additional energy.

Are the Metronome attacks for Clefairy and Clefable intended to be identical? Clefable also says to ignore costs of attack (e.g. Charizard's "discard 2 energy"), whereas Clefairy doesn't.

Should Raticate's Super Fang attack ignore all effects/weaknesses/resistances and always deal the amount of damage it says, or is that calculation just for the base damage and it would then be affected by PlusPower and the like?

I'm sure I'll come across more questions when I get round to the various effects. If you can think of any cards/effects/interactions from Base/Jungle/Fossil that you think might be tricky, please let me know.

1. Based on the fact that both cards were reprinted in Base Set 2 and follow the wording on Jungle Clefable, they're both intended to work the way Jungle Clefable is worded.

2. Unless the attack specifically says to ignore those effects, those effects still apply to Super Fang. The attack has to specifically say to ignore those effects.

Quote:

One thing I was pleased to discover was how cards like Pokémon Breeder should work - the intermediate card (if skipping from Basic to Stage 2) must exist as a card, even if it's not in the deck, and it doesn't work on Baby Pokémon. That makes things more convenient to code.

There may be a catch if someone were to implement a later card-set into your engine, as that would make a later Alakazam card (it was printed in the Diamond & Pearl era along with an Abra, but no Kadabra was ever printed to accompany those two in that set or any other set released around it) effectively unplayable if the person implementing that set wasn't aware of this being how your code processes how cards like Pokemon Breeder and Rare Candy work. That's probably a problem to save for a later time, however.

Quote:

If possible, could you have a look at the order in which things happen during an attack? It's as follows:

I've tried to take account of whatever I can think of, but I'm sure there'll be things I've overlooked. If an attack can't be used (e.g. don't have enough energy, Farfetch'd's Leek Slap), it can't even be chosen to be used in the first place, so the above code assumes the attack can be used. Checking fainting cards is a separate thing that happens immediately after the attack (as well as on other occasions).

That seems to be largely the correct order by current rules. I have been looking, and I have yet to see a damage booster or a damage reducing card/effect break this order, other than the original PlusPower print, which says to apply the damage after weakness and resistance.

Quote:

Yes, it's an alpha. There aren't yet any limits on what you can do in your turn - it helps with debugging, they're easy enough to implement, and I've got other things to worry about at the moment.

Ah, I didn't think about reprints. That's convenient - only one attack effect there instead of two.

Super Fang was easy to fix. Fair enough.

Quote originally posted by donavannj:

There may be a catch if someone were to implement a later card-set into your engine, as that would make a later Alakazam card (it was printed in the Diamond & Pearl era along with an Abra, but no Kadabra was ever printed to accompany those two in that set or any other set released around it) effectively unplayable if the person implementing that set wasn't aware of this being how your code processes how cards like Pokemon Breeder and Rare Candy work. That's probably a problem to save for a later time, however.

I considered this "problem" too, but I for one am definitely not going to get to a point where there's no Kadabra (stupid Geller). Besides, all that needs to be done is to create a "dummy" card set (a real set but which the player can never obtain any cards from) containing whichever Kadabra cards you want, just for the sake of them existing. It would ideally contains a Kadabra, Dark Kadabra, and Sabrina's Kadabra to cover all the bases.

Quote originally posted by donavannj:

That seems to be largely the correct order by current rules. I have been looking, and I have yet to see a damage booster or a damage reducing card/effect break this order, other than the original PlusPower print, which says to apply the damage after weakness and resistance.

Good to hear. I'm not surprised PlusPower is a little odd, given that it's an original card. Still, I'm following the original rules as close as possible, so this PlusPower will still apply itself after weakness/resistance calculations (assuming the damage hasn't already been dropped to 0 by then, of course; if the damage ever hits 0 after a step, all later steps are skipped and no damage is dealt).

Obviously the cards I'm using are way before the double battle rules. Can I assume that, unless specifically stated otherwise (which these cards won't), any reference to the "Defending Pokémon" will actually refer to the attack's target? That is, if the opponent has a Charizard and a Blastoise as Active Pokémon, I can only Metronome a Charizard move against Charizard, and a Blastoise move against Blastoise? Not that I'm worrying too much about double battles at the moment, though.

I considered this "problem" too, but I for one am definitely not going to get to a point where there's no Kadabra (stupid Geller). Besides, all that needs to be done is to create a "dummy" card set (a real set but which the player can never obtain any cards from) containing whichever Kadabra cards you want, just for the sake of them existing. It would ideally contains a Kadabra, Dark Kadabra, and Sabrina's Kadabra to cover all the bases.

Makes sense.

Quote:

Good to hear. I'm not surprised PlusPower is a little odd, given that it's an original card. Still, I'm following the original rules as close as possible, so this PlusPower will still apply itself after weakness/resistance calculations (assuming the damage hasn't already been dropped to 0 by then, of course; if the damage ever hits 0 after a step, all later steps are skipped and no damage is dealt).

I'm assuming that you'd consider making a version for the newer PlusPower prints at some point? The newer PlusPower prints do apply before Weakness and Resistance are applied. Though all the newer versions of PlusPower are from 2007-onward, so you may not ever get to that point, based on your response to the possible Kadabra problem above.

Quote:

Obviously the cards I'm using are way before the double battle rules. Can I assume that, unless specifically stated otherwise (which these cards won't), any reference to the "Defending Pokémon" will actually refer to the attack's target? That is, if the opponent has a Charizard and a Blastoise as Active Pokémon, I can only Metronome a Charizard move against Charizard, and a Blastoise move against Blastoise? Not that I'm worrying too much about double battles at the moment, though.

Yes, you can assume this. That move wouldn't take on the opponent's typing, however. It would just use Clefairy's/Clefable's, if you weren't sure about that.

Quote originally posted by p.claydon:

wit what TCG had double battles (i only got up2 the 1st movie with promo mewtwo) that makes it sound complicated now

I'm assuming that you'd consider making a version for the newer PlusPower prints at some point? The newer PlusPower prints do apply before Weakness and Resistance are applied. Though all the newer versions of PlusPower are from 2007-onward, so you may not ever get to that point, based on your response to the possible Kadabra problem above.

My goal is to make an engine containing the Base Set/Jungle/Fossil cards. Anything beyond that would be a bonus. Eventually I'll be asking for a selection of cards which demonstrate every new mechanic (e.g. burned status, Baby Pokémon, Lv.X, Stadiums, Plasma cards, LEGEND, etc.) so that I can add in some support for them too, but that's only for after I'm done and if I still care by then (the AI and prettying are bound to take a lot out of me).

I've not done too much recently. Special conditions are now in (both their effects and the card rotations), I'm working on card fainting (it currently works except for the prize card part which needs prize cards in general to be made functional), and I've made some general tweaks. I'm not actually keeping a list of my changes for this, so I couldn't say specifically what I've done.

Quote originally posted by Fransferdy:

If anyone gets all the cards graphics, and one internet page saying what each card do, i can make a database and a card battle engine, for Game Maker.

If you're talking about playing a card game for actual Pokémon, I've already said that I don't support using the TCG extension alongside the classic game, which means there will be no such thing as actual Pokémon in a TCG game. However, if you mean something like an ante rule, I have no particular desire to add that in. Playing for booster packs is good enough (you can always set a duel to give out 0 booster packs, and/or afterwards give the player a specific card if you want).

Oh, I'm always accepting contributions of new premade decks (and deck icons - the ones I bodged together are a bit iffy). Remember that the vast majority of premade decks will belong to enemy trainers only, and will not be accessible to the player, so you can make decks just for Club Masters if you want. Should all (or as many as possible given the card pool) of the decks that appear in the TCG games be included?

Hey Maruno, can you update your first post with all of the information about this?

I'm wondering, is this an addition to Essentials, or at least an editable? I thought you said earlier that it wasn't going to be, but now I see you talking about others adding stuff in (maybe I'm making stuff up lol).

I was asking if people wanted to make their own decks like this, to be included with the project.

Quote originally posted by DaSpirit:

Hey Maruno, can you update your first post with all of the information about this?

I'm wondering, is this an addition to Essentials, or at least an editable? I thought you said earlier that it wasn't going to be, but now I see you talking about others adding stuff in (maybe I'm making stuff up lol).

I'm calling it an extension to Essentials. Essentials itself remains untouched, and the TCG scripts are maybe a dozen additional script sections you can throw in. They're as editable as any Essentials script.

What I was saying is that, if you want to play a regular Pokémon game and have the TCG as just a mini-game within it (rather than having the TCG be the main focus of the game), I'm not going to help you. I've said before that I don't think it should be a mini-game, so I'm not going to support anyone who tries to turn it into one.

There's a huge difference between that and asking for new premade decks.

In other news, I've finally added prize card functionality, including being able to take prize cards for knocking out Pokémon. Once I've added in the win condition checks, you'll be able to play properly! (Except that the AI is a vegetable that does nothing, many card effects don't exist, and there are no restrictions on actions per turn. Apart from all that, though, the only real things left to do are cosmetic.) Of course, there's also still many out-of-duel things to do (Card Dex, summary, booster packs, etc.).

And do you plan on adding the tcg decks like "Blackout", "Overgrowth", "Zap!" and "Brushfire"?

EDIT
A suggestion how to manage the AI:
Why not add some check for strategies to the prefabricated decks in the PBS file?
For example you could make a check if the deck is an "Evolution deck" or if you mainly use Basic cards.
And because the AI can only use prefabricated decks you have to make different AI for "Evolution decks" and "Basic Card decks".
For example "Evolution decks" should concentrate to evolving their pokemon as fast as possible and using them and "Basic Card" decks (with cards like Electabuzz) should try to overwhelm the opponent at the beginning of the game.
This way you can even combine different checks.
As an example lets use the both strategies above. If you have selected "Evolution deck" and "Basic Card deck" the AI should try to overwhelm the opponent with strong Basic cards at the beginning and try to evolve their other Basic cards as fast as possible. After the weak Basic Cards are evolved the AI should stop using strong Basic cards and start using evolved pokemon cards.
You see that if you combine strategies you need a priority for each one. In the above example the "Basic Card deck" strategy should have a little bit higher priority then the "Evolution Deck" strategy. This way the AI should use the "Basic Card deck" as its main strategy but it doesn't ignore the "Evolution deck" strategy.
Of course you need conditions for each strategy when to get higher or lower priority. For example the "Basic Card deck" should have a condition that this strategy gets lower priority when you have evolved cards. And because the "Basic Card deck" strategy has now lower priority then the "Evolution deck" strategy the AI starts to use evolved pokemon.
And you need to determine which cards can be called "strong" Basic cards so the "Basic Card deck" AI knows with which cards it should try to overwhelm the opponent.
Of course there are more Strategies you can determine for each deck and there are a lot of more ways to combine them. This way you can make a lot of different AI behavior! There are restrictions as well. This way each deck has just one combination of strategy that you can determine. If you want more you have to copy past the deck in the PBS file and change the checks i think. Maybe there is a better way thought.

Hope the stuff i said makes sense. I am not a programmer so i don't know how programming actually works. So sorry if i talked nonsense.

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